FOX CROSSING - A state bill that would give tens of millions of dollars in incentives to Kimberly-Clark Corp. to keep its Cold Spring facility open will take a step forward Wednesday, but still faces obstacles.

Lawmakerswill hold another public hearing on the legislation, Assembly Bill 963, despite not having made any progress in securing votes to pass the bill.

The Joint Finance Committee public hearing will start at 10 a.m. Wednesday in 412 East in the State Capitol building in Madison.

Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton), a co-sponsor of the bill, admits that the legislation faces a bumpy road to get to the floor later this month for a vote.

“I know how tough it is to get any piece of legislation passed. It's always an uphill battle on you name the issue. But tomorrow will be telling," he said Tuesday afternoon.

"It will be interesting to hear the reaction from the different senators and representatives who sit on that committee. I do think it will be a positive hearing."

Roth will speak at the hearing, as will Rep. Mike Rohrkaste (R-Neenah) and union, company and WEDC officials.

Rohrkaste is a co-author of the bill and a member of the Joint Finance Committee. If he were an oddsmaker, he said he'd give the bill a 50-50 chance at passage.

“I get the arguments on both sides, but it’s a way to keep good-paying jobs in the area. If people don’t vote for this, they’re being short-sighted. It’s going to negatively impact 500 families in the Fox Cities," Rohrkaste said.

Roth said “tomorrow is about building the narrative and trying to get a little momentum here.

“I think what you’re going to hear is a compelling story on how the Senate coming in and passing the bill — that the Assembly has already passed — will have a positive impact on the economy of the Fox Valley and Wisconsin as a whole,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said last Thursday if enough Democratic senators support the legislation, the chamber would take it up at the end of November.

However, Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) said Friday he doesn’t expect any members of his caucus to vote for the bill.

The legislation needs 17 votes of 33 senators to pass. Republicans hold the majority, but some oppose the bill. Sne. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), for example, called it “a precedent that we should not set.”

Others have criticized the bill because most manufacturers, including Kimberly-Clark, do not pay state corporate income tax, and that the tax credit in the bill would actually be a cash payment made to the company.

“Sure, you can nitpick and say 'corporate welfare,'" said Rohrkaste. "But other states do this all the time. Everyone was pretty happy when we offered refundable tax credits to Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac. Now, they’re booming and hiring people.”

Roth said bill supporters have not secured additional yes votes so far.

“We’re largely where we were before the election,” he said. "I do expect Democratic support in the end. I’m trying to build relationships with everybody.”

Union job retention and K-C’s contributions to the local economy should be considered, he said, noting the company buys materials from more than 200 local firms, pays local taxes and pays huge utility bills that would be passed on to other users if it leaves.

The Cold Spring facility makes Depend adult incontinence products as well as other personal hygiene products and employs 500 workers.

Kimberly-Clark Corp. previously gave the Legislature a Sept. 30 deadline to pass the incentives, but then backed away from that date. Spokeswoman Brook Smith said the company would wait for Senate action before making its final decision.

The bill was authored by six Republican representatives, including the Fox Cities' Rohrkaste, Ron Tusler (R-Harrison), David Murphy (R-Greenville) and Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna). It passed in the Assembly, but stalled in the Senate earlier this year.

The bill is supported by outgoing Gov. Scott Walker.

The legislation, as written, sought to give tax breaks to K-C if it kept two Fox Cities plants open and retained 610 jobs.

K-C indicated it was willing to consider incentives for the Cold Spring plant in Fox Crossing, but told Fitzgerald that it will still close its Neenah Nonwovens facility and cut its 110 jobs. Both plants had been put on the chopping block in January as part of the company’s global restructuring plan to close or sell 10 plants and eliminate up to 5,500 jobs.

The Senate would still vote on the Assembly bill as written.

“When it goes to Gov. Walker’s desk, he can veto out provisions and keep the rest of the legislation intact," said Roth. "He can cross out provisions that don’t apply, but it will allow the rest of the bill to move forward.”

Molly Beck of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this story.